The nation’s largest group of truckers is speaking out against President Obama’s Tuesday announcement ordering federal regulators to increase fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for trucks beyond the 2018 model year. Others say the plan will pay dividends in the trucking industry.

A proposed ban on diesel-powered vehicles in the District of Columbia has drawn a strong response from a coalition of trucking industry groups. The coalition warned the D.C. Council that provisions in the recently introduced Sustainable D.C. Omnibus Act of 2013 would have “significantly harmful effects on the District’s economy and on the quality of life of District residents.”

A three-judge federal panel on Wednesday upheld California’s controversial and first-in-the-nation law requiring fuel-makers to reduce carbon, that detractors say will lead to higher prices for diesel and gasoline.

President Obama’s proposed budget for the 2014 fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 drew harsh criticism from the American Trucking Associations and the Diesel Technology Forum. ATA took issue with the budget's infrastructure funding, while the Forum took aim at a cut in funding for emissions-reduction programs.

Oral arguments in the lawsuit challenging the hours of service rule will be held March 15 at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
It typically takes the court two to three months to rule following arguments, which means it should hand down its decision before the new HOS rule is scheduled to take effect in July